10 things you didn’t know about the Netherlands

On social media and in emails that I’m receiving as of late, it has become awfully clear that many of FashionContainer’s readers are completely unaware of the fact that I’m Dutch. Well…now you know! Today I’m sharing some fun facts about the Dutch of which I’m sure some will blow you away.

1. With an average height of 1.84 meter for men and 1.70 meter for women, the Dutch are the tallest people in the world. I’ve heard it’s because we drink so much milk…

2.  Licorice is the most popular candy in het Netherlands. In Dutch we call it ‘drop’ and we probably have at least 1000 different kinds.

3. Early dinner time! Most families eat at 18:00 pm and don’t even think you can go out for a late dinner, as most restaurant kitchens close at 21:00 pm(!)

4. Smoking weed is allowed in the Netherlands, but please stop thinking that Dutch people are stoned all the time. Truth of the matter is: it’s mostly tourists who embrace the “weed culture”.

5. There’s more bikes than people in the Netherlands. (Approximately 20 million vs. 16.5 million)

6. The most frequently used last name in the United States is ‘Smith’, in the world it’s ‘Chang’, in the Netherlands it’s: ‘De Jong’

7. When high school students graduate, we hang out the national flag at home with the student’s satchel. This way the entire neighbourhood knows who’s graduated and who isn’t. Fun, right?

9. Regardless of the job you have (president, teacher, layer), everyone and then I mean EVERYONE transports themselves by bike.

10. The Netherlands is the most densely populated country of the European Union and one of the most densely populated countries in the world.

…And in case these 10 facts intrigued you somewhat, I’d highly recommend watching this Holland vs The Netherlands video on youtube

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